Europese Investeringsbank financiert innovatieve elektriciteitsopslag (en)

Met dank overgenomen van Europese Investeringsbank (EIB) i, gepubliceerd op maandag 10 januari 2011.

Today, Philippe de Fontaine Vive, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank (EIB i), and Vincent Bolloré, CEO of the Bolloré Group, signed a EUR 130 million finance contract in support of the Group’s research, development and innovation (RDI) programmes in the field of electricity storage (batteries and electric vehicles) and the activities of its subsidiary IER (self-service check-in, security controls, automatic identification).

This loan - the EIB’s first to the Bolloré Group - has the twofold aim of financing the Bolloré Group’s investment in developing electrical storage systems and optimising people flow management and security (IER):

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    The development of a new generation of lithium metal polymer (LMP) batteries providing a driving range of more than 250 km and ensuring the total safety of electric vehicles. This advanced technology developed by the Bolloré Group will especially be employed in fixed and mobile applications for future high-performance, environmentally friendly and totally silent electric vehicles producing no CO2 emissions.
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    IER’s application of innovative technologies to automatic identification, registration and tracking in the check-in and security systems at airports and stations.

EIB Vice-President Philippe de Fontaine Vive welcomed the operation, saying: “I am delighted to sign this finance contract with Vincent Bolloré as a practical example of the EIB’s commitment to promoting RDI in France. We are banking on advanced technologies to spearhead sustainable economic development, create jobs and foster high-level skills, all with a direct impact on people’s daily lives”.

Vincent Bolloré praised “this strong support for both the Bolloré Group, which has been investing in electrical batteries for 18 years, and our subsidiary IER, which devotes a large part of its turnover to research and development”.

The car industry was a particular beneficiary of the EIB’s backing for RDI in 2009 and 2010. The European Clean Transport Facility (ECTF) especially enabled the substantial reduction of CO2 emissions by financing RDI throughout the sector. The EIB has lent EUR 7.9 billion to the car industry under this facility since 2008.